


The Biker In The Parking Lot

by Eryiss



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Adult Crushes, Biker Freed, First Date, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, Personal Trainer Laxus, Punk Freed, Reunions, School Reunion, Teasing, fraxus, request, shared memories, teenage crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29045358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eryiss/pseuds/Eryiss
Summary: There had only been one reason he had come to the damn school reunion, and that had been to catch up with Freed.  What he had expected was Freed to be the big city lawyer he always wanted to be. What he had not expected was him to be wearing a brilliant leather jacket, adorned with piercings and tattoos, and riding a spectacular motorbike.Laxus was only a man, what else could he do when presented with such a sight other than falling head over heels for the man all over again?
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	The Biker In The Parking Lot

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a request from tumblr user _[@Fuckyeahfraxus.](https://fuckyeahfraxus.tumblr.com/)_ , who wanted something based off the offical art with Laxus on a motorbike, wanting the bike to belong to Freed. I hope you all like it, and if you wish to make a writing requst then you can put in a comment or contact me through [my tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.

****

**The Biker in the Parking Lot**

"Okay, so if you do that one more time, I'm scratching out your eyes."

At her words, Laxus turned his glare to Cana. She was grinning back at him with mischief in her eyes, an expression which Laxus was quickly becoming tired of. The entire night had been like this, with Cana, and occasionally her girlfriend, making jokes about him. About how much effort he'd put into his outfit, how he had slicked his hair back and put cologne on despite his usual aversion to it, and more recently about how he couldn't stop looking at the door every few minutes.

He hadn't been enthusiastic about coming back to Fairy Tail for their reunion night; it had only been ten years, how much could anyone have changed in ten years? But he'd allowed himself to be talked into it, and now he was standing in the old canteen leaning against the stage where the assemblies had been held, ignoring the one friend he'd kept in contact with.

"The point of these things is to get to know the people you used to be close with," Laxus grunted. "It ain't about talking to me all damn night."

"You've not spoken to anyone," Cana retorted.

"Yeah, because I was a dick to pretty much everyone here," Laxus shrugged, sipping some of the cheap beer. "Not looking to get into any 'I stood up to my bully' crap tonight, so I'm gonna stay here. Not like I wanna catch up with anyone anyway."

"Except for Freed," Cana teased, and Laxus' jaw clenched.

So yes, maybe he had been watching the door to see if Freed had come in. There was nothing wrong with that, they had been close during high school, drifted apart slowly through college, and hadn't spoken in some time. It was mainly Laxus' fault that it had happened – Freed had moved away, meaning he couldn't force Laxus into talking like Cana had – and he was curious to see how he had turned out. It was only natural.

"What was he like?" Mirajane, the only member of the trio who hadn't attended Fairy Tail, asked. "He must be impressive if you're blushing like that."

"I ain't blu-"

"Oh he was a massive square, and Laxus loved it," Cana cackled, and Laxus felt his hackles raise slightly. "He was the class smartass, never missed a day, tutored kids who were struggling. That's how they met. Laxy here was shit-awful at maths and their teacher forced poor innocent Freed to help him out. And, under the fluorescent lights of the crappy library just through those doors," She pointed to the library. "The love story of the nerd and the jock began. A cliched story as old as time; that unfortunately flamed out because Laxus couldn't put the effort in to text him back."

"It didn't flame out, nothing ever happened," Laxus grunted. "And stop acting like he was some shy kid scared of getting into trouble. He got as many detentions as the both of us."

"Because he kept telling teachers they didn't know how to teach," Cana laughed.

"Well considering they kept sending everyone to learn from him, maybe he had a point," Laxus huffed, looking away from Cana's annoyingly teasing grin.

"So you never started anything with him?" Mirajane asked, frowning. "Not even a kiss behind the bleachers after a big win for your football team?"

"How high-school-musical do you think this place was?" Cana laughed.

She looked up at her girlfriend with love in her eyes. It was a revolting expression, and the stuffiness of the canteen mixed with the crowd of people that Laxus could happily never speak to again was starting to agitate him. And when he looked back to them both, to see that they were now kissing a little too passionately for a school reunion, he decided that he definitely needed some air. He gave the excuse of needing a smoke – an affirmatory hum coming from Cana – before leaving and walking to the parking lot.

Despite his attempt at quitting, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag as he sat on the grass verge overlooking the cars. A few of his fellow alumni were lingering around the door, so he had walked a while away to get some privacy.

He shouldn't have come. His time at school had brought out the worst of him, and being back here brought out a lot of crappy memories that he didn't want-

A loud, roaring engine cut off his thoughts.

When Laxus looked up, he saw that the source of the sound was getting closer. It was a beautiful motorbike, and Laxus immediately recognised that it was part of Sabretooth's Vintage Luxury collection. The engine was a large and impressive thing, with two exhaust pipes that glinted under the streetlamps. The gas tank was painted red, with the sabretooth insignia emblazed upon it. Even with the slight daze of the headlight hitting his face as the bike got closer, Laxus could see that it was a beautiful vehicle.

As the bike pulled into a space near Laxus, he found himself looking the driver up and down. The only person he could imagine from his graduating class becoming a biker would be Gajeel, who was already in the canteen, talking with his wife. He looked the rider up and down, trying to see if he could recognise them; something which was made difficult by the fact they hadn't parked under the streetlamp, and was still wearing a helmet.

They seemed to be a man, who was tall; though a little shorter than Laxus. He was wearing a red knee length leather coat, and black boots. Still not enough to put a name to the person.

Almost as if the man had heard Laxus' thoughts, the helmeted head looked up from the bike and towards him. For a moment Laxus looked back to the man, not knowing how exactly to react; knowing his luck it would be one of the kids who's heads he'd slammed into the locker who was looking out for revenge. He would deserve that revenge, but Laxus still didn't want to deal with it, so he looked back down to the ground and took another drag of the cigarette.

"I thought you gave up," A voice said. A very recognisable voice. Freed's voice.

Laxus looked up to see that the biker had walked towards him, and had removed his helmet. It was Freed. He still had his high cheekbones, strong jawline, and striking eyes. The little beauty mark below his eye was still there, as was his long green hair. Other than standing a little taller, there wasn't much change. There were the few little hints of aging, and the sense of being more comfortable in himself, but not much else.

"Freed," Laxus said, a little dumbly. He then looked down to the cigarette that Freed had mentioned. "I've tried. Cut down a lot."

"That's good," Freed nodded, looking down at Laxus with that same charming smile that Laxus remembered so vividly. "I know you were antisocial when we were younger, but I hope you didn't come here just to sit outside on your own? It would be rather a waste of time and effort, wouldn't it?"

He was talking like the time hadn't passed. Like Laxus hadn't practically ghosted him nearly eight years ago. Like he wasn't a different person than he had been when they were kids.

Because although Laxus had defended Freed when Cana insinuated he was a straightlaced student, he wasn't… like this. Freed hadn't been the type to drive a motorbike, or wear leather jackets, or have piercings – fuck, he had an ear piercing!

Laxus wasn't going to complain, because a biker wearing leather was hot as hell to Laxus, but it wasn't like they were the same people they had been in school. And yet he had just approached a man he hadn't seen in nearly ten years, speaking to him like it had only been a week.

"Cana forced me to come," Laxus explained.

"The two of you still talk?" Freed asked, and Laxus immediately blanched.

"Well neither of us moved away, and she's a pretty stubborn person," Laxus rushed out in explanation, trying to give a nonchalant reason as to why Laxus continued his friendship with her and not with him. "Couldn't get rid of her no matter what I did, eventually had to accept that she ain't leaving."

"I always thought she could be domineering when tested," Freed chuckled. "So you're staying out here for spite."

"No, just needed some air," Laxus shrugged. "But she's my ride, so I guess I'm here for as long as she and her girlfriend are."

"Well, if I remember correctly, she's spiteful enough to make you wait for hours just to prove a point, so I recommend you join me inside," Freed suggested, and he offered Laxus a gloved hand to pull himself up with. "Perhaps we could gang up on her like we did at school."

"Nah, she's got a girlfriend now, they're a hell of a lot worse than we used to be," Laxus said, though grinned at the memory of their time together in school.

He took Freed's hand and pulled himself up on it, momentarily taking a second to appreciate the strength in Freed's arms. Not that he could see them of course, but there was definitely more muscle in the man than there had been when they were younger. He looked down at Freed, glancing over him again now that he was standing. His long green hair was tied in a pony tail, and looked as silky as ever. His skin was blemish free as it always had been, with his perfect complex. And as he removed his gloves, Laxus got a glance at the forearms that he'd often allowed his mind to wonder to.

His forearms that were now blemished with a coiling serpent tattoo.

Oh god.

Looking up to say something, he met Freed's gaze for the first time. His ice blue eyes were still as intensive as they always had been, and if he were a stronger man then he might have been hypnotised by them. He blushed slightly at the eye contact.

"Wow," Freed said, voice slightly quieter. "When I last saw you, you were a scrawny thing. You've certainly put an end to that."

"Yeah," Laxus said, a little awkward. "Guess so."

"Oh don't even think about being coy about it," Freed chuckled, taking the lead and walking towards the building, fully expecting Laxus to follow. Laxus did. "You forget that I know you. And I also know that, if you wear a t-shirt that tight, you're doing it because you want people to notice. Your ego hasn't changed then."

"Like your any better," Laxus scoffed, looking down at Freed. "Wearing jeans like that."

"I'm glad you noticed," Freed smirked, looking over his shoulder cockily. "I was starting to think all the squats I've been doing have been for nothing."

Laxus paused, not letting his mind shut off completely, nor his eyes stray to Freed's ass to see the result of the squats. And when Freed continued talking as if what he'd said was completely normal – claiming that he and Laxus needed to team up and make it clear that Cana and her girlfriend's reign of terror over Laxus was over – Laxus decided that he would trail behind Freed and let whatever happened happen; just as he often had when they were younger. Because, as he always had, Freed was acting like he owned the damn school, and it was an energy very easy to get involved with.

Laxus was reminded of just why he had been so fond of Freed. How he was one of few people to challenge Laxus in school. That he expected respect as a given, rather than earned. And if this return to the norm between them both brought a small, self-indulgent smile onto Laxus' face, then that was his business.

* * *

**~Two Hours Later~**

"I suppose this was inevitable," Freed chuckled.

"I'm surprised that they lasted this long, honestly," Laxus agreed.

In the middle of the canteen, a fight had broken out. It was, of course, between Natsu and Gray, who had been rivals constantly throughout their time in school. It had been a constant source of annoyance for Laxus, particularly when they joined the football team, and it was his obligation as captain to get their asses in line. More than once Laxus had been forced to get in between the two of them before they battered each other's skulls in.

There was also the time where Laxus walked into the locker room after hours because he forgot his cleats, to see the two of them making out against a row of lockers as if they needed to kiss to survive. He'd never mentioned it to anyone; it had recontextualised their fighting though.

Maybe they were still together. Was this flirting?

"I think it's fairly certain that the rest of the night will be like this," Freed mused, flinching slightly as Erza punched Natsu on the back of the head to make him drop the chair he was threatening Grey with. "You would've thought they'd grown up slightly."

"Really?" Laxus scoffed. "I would've put money on them being just the same."

Both men took a sympathetic intake of breath as Gray threw what appeared to be a cupcake at Natsu, only to have it land on Erza's jacket lapel. Remembering the ferocity of the woman, it seemed as though everyone in the canteen froze to watch what happened next. Erza turned slowly and began to walk towards Gray, who was quickly apologising in a despite attempt to avoid whatever she was planning to do.

Freed was right, the rest of the night was going to be like this. Once Natsu and his friends got into a fight, they had the habit of dragging everyone into it. It was impressive really, just how many fights had happened in their school. Laxus had to wonder why the teachers agreed to have their ridiculous class back for a night.

"How's your motion sickness now?" Freed suddenly asked, still watching the fight.

"What?" Laxus asked, blinking at the sudden question. "Not as bad as it used to be. I'm fine most of the time. Why?"

"You said that Cana drove you here, didn't you?" Freed turned to Laxus, who nodded. "Well I don't expect you want to be here anymore than I do, now this has happened. Considering she managed to sneak away without telling either of us, I thought I could drive you back to your house rather than forcing you to wait for them to come back."

"You sure?" Laxus asked, and Freed nodded. "Want me to pay for gas or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Freed brushed off. "But we should leave now, Gajeel just got involved and in past experiences, that means you're next."

The two men snuck out of the canteen as innocuously as they could, walking to the parking lot in companionably silence. Laxus let his eyes wander to Freed again, thinking back to the times he had walked this same trip when leaving school together. The memories of them walking home together were the ones Laxus often thought about when reminiscing about his missed chance of getting closer to Freed. The times when it was just the two of them alone were some of Laxus' most fond memories. A flush of regret filled him, because his own lack of effort with Freed had stopped any more of these memories from being made over the last ten years.

It was why he'd agreed to come to the reunion, he realised. Freed was his biggest regret, the one that got away. Ruined by his arrogance and his hesitance to be vulnerable, he let Freed go. And tonight was the night he might be able to change that.

"Y'know that burger place we used to go to?" Laxus asked. "The one by-"

"I remember it," Freed interrupted, and he was smiling a little. A soft, delightful expression. "I always liked it there."

"Me too," Laxus agreed, thinking back to their tutoring sessions they'd shared there; they got kicked out of the library after Freed argued with the librarian about his sorting system. "Well, it's still open. I ain't got an early morning tomorrow, and I didn't eat anything while I was here, so I'm gonna need to get something anyway. Might be interesting to go back and see what it's like; haven't been since we graduated actually. Obviously if you don't wanna-"

"I do," Freed said plainly, and that was that.

They walked side by side towards where Freed had parked his bike, and Laxus had to appreciate the vehicle again. It really was a thing of beauty, and made even better by the fact Freed was its owner. Laxus had a vague memory of talking about his dream bike to Freed when they were younger, and wondered if maybe Freed had been influenced by his ramblings.

As they approached, Freed handed Laxus the helmet that he had worn earlier in the day. Laxus looked down at it, ready to refuse it and give it right back to Freed, only to see him slip on some goggles and climb onto the bike.

Laxus hesitated. Climbing onto the bike would mean they'd be awfully… close.

Freed looked up at Laxus, and sent him a cocky grin that sent a thrill down Laxus' spine. Freed really did pull off the biker attitude well. "Scared?"

"Fuck you," Laxus retorted, grinning as he slid on the helmet.

He ardently refused to focus on the fact that he was sitting behind Freed, forced to wrap his arms around the man's waist as his kickstarted the engine. He tried to focus on the incredible roar of the engine, the vibrations of the vehicle and the slightly aroma of gas. He hadn't ridden on a bike before, despite being practically obsessed with them as a teenager, and the feeling of being on one was invigorating. It was a lot better sharing this experience with Freed.

"You ready?" Freed asked, looking over his shoulder with a grin.

"Hell yeah," Laxus nodded.

The engine revved, the bike thrust forward, and Laxus felt a giddy grin splitting across his face.

* * *

**~Ten Minutes Later~**

"How's your head feeling now?"

"Getting better," Laxus nodded slightly. "It hasn't been that bad for a while."

"I suppose you're not familiar to bikes yet," Freed suggested. "I shouldn't have been going as fast, really."

The two men were sitting either side of the same booth Freed had tutored Laxus ten years prior. The small burger bar looked the same as it always had, with rustic charm and gentle music playing in the background. They each had ordered the same burgers they always got during the tutoring sessions, and were sharing a basket of curly fries between them. They'd also both ordered the same milkshakes they'd drank whenever Laxus had successfully passed a test; though at that moment he only drink Laxus dared to stomach was water.

Apparently his motion sickness was worse than Laxus had thought. Although thankfully he hadn't vomited, the quick journey had made his stomach churn and his head spin. It was a stark reminder of how bad any car or train journey had been when he was a teenager.

"You didn't know," Laxus shrugged. "I told you I'd gotten over it."

"Still, I was showing off," Freed dismissed, taking a fry from the basket. "Swerving through the cars was hardly necessary. So I'm sorry about that."

"Just make sure you don't do it on the way back," Laxus said, placing the water down. "Already had to push my client back last week because I was hung over, if I do it again he'll start getting pissy at me."

"Client?" Freed asked, picking up his burger.

"I'm a personal trainer," Laxus explained. "He's this rich business guy who's used to getting his way without any pushback. Kind of an ass, really. Well, probably don't need to tell you about guys like that, do I? You're probably surrounded by them. You were gonna be a lawyer, right?"

"I was," Freed agreed, nodding. "But, unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be."

"Really?" Laxus frowned. "You seemed so sure about it when we were kids. Criminal defence, right? You used to talk about all the laws you thought were bullshit when we were having lunch."

"And I still believe that they are," Freed chuckled, and Laxus grinned a little. "But there was an issue with my college class that rediverted my career goals."

"What was the issue?"

"I left before the end."

Laxus frowned. Freed was a college drop out? He was one of the most studious people Laxus had known, to the point where he was nearly class valedictorian, had it not been for him pissing off half the teaching staff. Almost everyone who knew him had expected Freed to excel in college, because a man like that should thrive in an intellectual environment. Hell, most of the teachers who liked Freed said that the reason he was so 'rebellious' was because he wasn't being challenged enough, to the point where some of them wanted to advance him to a college class immediately. And yet he hadn't finished.

"Let me guess," Laxus said with a grin, trying to make light of the situation. He didn't know if Freed might see his college failure as a sore point. "You yelled at your teachers and got expelled?"

"Yes, actually," Freed chuckled, and Laxus blanched.

"You're kidding."

"No. Well, not exactly," Freed laughed, taking another fry, and eating it. "My parents were funding my classes, and some time during my second year we had a disagreement. They wanted me to continue on as their model of obedience and success, that they could show off to their country club friends. And I got three piercings, a tattoo, and started taking 'unfavourable characters' to bed. They dropped my funding because I was a disappointment, and since I'd annoyed each of my tutors, they wouldn't consider me for a scholarship. So I was kicked out."

"Fuck," Laxus cussed, unsure if his amusement at the situation was appropriate. "That must have been difficult."

"It was what I needed," Freed shrugged. "I've got a job, share an apartment with some friends, and I'm a lot happier than I was when my parents were in control. So it ended up as it was meant to, I think."

"What d'ya do?"

"I'm a tattoo artist," Freed explained, shrugging slightly. "I do piercings as well."

Oh.

Oh that was… interesting.

From the moment he had seen Freed taking off his helmet earlier in the night, Laxus had been forcing one thing to the back of his mind. He found bikers hot. He found pierced guys hot. He found guys with tattoos hot. And when Freed, the man who Laxus had always held a candle for, turned up looking like he had, Laxus had forced himself to push those… attractions to the back of his mind. Freed might be in a relationship, and he couldn't be sure if the man was interested in him, so he couldn't indulge himself.

But this was a step too far for Laxus. Because Freed Justine now was a tattoo and piercing artist. And that was just far too hot for Laxus to ignore, as were the flickered thoughts about the other piercings and tattoos that might be hidden under his clothing.

"I thought that might interest you," Freed teased, amusement in his tone.

"Sorry," Laxus said on instinct.

"Stop that," Freed scolded. "I've been looking at your arms every chance I get. That t-shirt really is far too tight for decency," He then smirked a little. "I'm glad you chose it."

Okay, so Freed was definitely flirting with him then. Which meant that he was single. Which meant that…

"Is this a date?" Laxus asked, blushing a little.

"Are you single?" Freed retorted, and Laxus nodded. "It's a date."

"Alright," Laxus smiled

A layer of tension seemed to dissipate, and Laxus felt his shoulders unhunch a little. He hadn't noticed the small reservedness that he'd been forcing on the conversation – the one that limited them to the tit-for-tat banter that had made up most of their school time together – until it had gone. It was like he was taking a breath of fresh air, and it was a welcoming sensation. Perhaps one he had needed during their school years.

As the night went on, the conversation was free flowing. Laxus explained how he got into personal training, of course making sure to brag about how he had completed college while Freed had not, and where he was living now. Freed spoke about his friends, roommates, and co-workers, who were very eccentric people, should his stories be believed.

Watching as the man spoke, Laxus found himself transfixed. He was animated and clearly passionate about his work and his friends, and he smiled as he spoke about them. Freed hadn't smiled a lot as a teenager, other than the cynical smiles and smirks he wore when being cocky. It was nice to see him so open with his feelings; being emotional stuck-up was something that they both were guilty of when they were younger. Freed seemed to have changed, and yet he was also exactly the same as he had been.

"You look very contemplative," Freed cut through Laxus' thoughts. "What's on your mind?"

"I was just thinking about you," Laxus admitted. "Just can't decide if you've changed or not."

"Interesting," Freed mused, looking into the middle distance for a while as he thought. "I don't think I've changed, as such. It's more that I grew out of the restrictions I put myself through. So, at the risk of sounding like an Instagram inspiration post, I suppose I'm a more authentic version of myself."

"I like you bein' authentic," Laxus admitted. "It's nice."

"I'm glad," Freed smiled. "I like you being authentic as well. And only partially because apparently authentic you is incredibly hot."

"Bastard," Laxus grinned, but it turned into a soft smile. It was tinged with a little sadness, as he thought over the past ten years. If he hadn't been so pig headed, he could have grown into himself side by side with Freed. "I should have asked you out in school."

"No you shouldn't," Freed said, and Laxus looked at him with a slightly wounded look. "I wasn't ready for you back then. I don't think you were ready for me either."

"You ready now?"

"Yes," Freed smiled. "Are you?"

"Yeah."

Freed went to speak, but Laxus felt a rush of courage and adrenaline surge through him. He reached over the table, grabbed Freed by the collar, and pulled him into a kiss.

Their first kiss.

It was indescribable. Freed seemed a little taken aback by it, but moved his lips in time with Laxus' after catching up. The feelings of their lips locking, their noses brushing against one another, their tongues bumping against one another was incredible. Tantalising and exciting in a way that Laxus had never felt from another man. Because with Freed, there was history and emotion and caring and love. And it was all being shown in this kiss, this incredible gesture that was long overdue. Laxus both wished he had done this years ago, and was delighted that he had waited for the perfect moment. Because this was perfect.

They pulled apart, both a little dazed, but smiled. Freed was blushing – a miraculous sight – but Laxus didn't comment on it because he probably looked the same. They seemed to scan each other's faces for a moment, any defences crumbling and replaced by almost shy smiles. Laxus averted his eyes, a little embarrassed at his actions.

"Wow," Freed said, a little breathless still.

"Yeah," Laxus chuckled weakly, looking back to Freed shyly.

"Do you remember that lake we used to got to, whenever one of us had an argument with our parents?" Freed asked, meeting Laxus' gaze. "I could take us there if you'd like. It might be a nice way to end the night."

"Yeah," Laxus smiled. "Sounds perfect."

When they walked out, and Freed's hand slipped into his own, Laxus felt his heart flutter.

It had been a good night.


End file.
